Idaho voters will decide next month whether to change the state’s elections through Proposition 1.
Yard signs are out in front of homes, and ads, blog posts and video clips online argue in favor and in opposition to the changes.
Proposition 1 has two components: changes to who can vote in the state’s primary elections, and changes to how votes are tallied in the general election. For primaries, everyone would vote in one primary that includes all candidates regardless of party; the top four would advance, even if more than one are from the same party. In the general election, voters could rank the four candidates, with their second and third choices becoming important if any of their preferred picks are eliminated for insufficient votes.
Later this month, Idaho Statesman opinion editor Scott McIntosh will host a live debate about the ballot measure ( RSVP at IdahoStatesman.com ).
Here’s a breakdown of some of the arguments, including a fact check of a few of the claims circulating about ranked choice voting (RCV):